After casting the spell, I felt it immediately the jagged backlash tearing through my body like invisible claws. My legs trembled violently, my vision swam in a dizzying blur, and my mana felt dangerously thin, stretched to its absolute breaking point. Staying within the castle walls a moment longer would be suicide.
I need to get out of here… now.
A desperate enhancement spell surged through my veins, a forced ignition that made my exhausted muscles scream as they propelled me forward. The world became a distorted streak of motion jagged stone roads, towering demon spires reaching like black fingers toward the moon, and glowing sigils carved into ancient walls all of it flashing past as I pushed myself into a realm of physical agony.
I didn't stop.
From the heart of the royal capital…
Through the labyrinth of crowded streets…
Past the silent, sleeping outer districts…
I pushed until I reached the edge of the city where my home waited like a sanctuary.
By the time I reached the door, my lungs were burning as if I had swallowed liquid fire. I raised a trembling fist and slammed it against the wood with the last shred of my strength.
BANG! BANG!
The door flew open almost instantly, spilling warm light onto the cold street.
"Justin?!"
The moment Alicia appeared, the adrenaline evaporated. My legs gave out like snapped timber. I collapsed forward, hitting the floor with a heavy thud, gasping for air in ragged, desperate lunges.
"What in the hell happened to you?!" Alicia cried, her voice high with panic as she knelt beside me.
"L-lemme… lemme catch my breath…" I wheezed, the world spinning. "I ran… so many miles… getget me water, please…"
Without a second word, she vanished into the house. Moments later, she was back, kneeling on the cold floor and gently lifting my head to rest against her thighs.
Her touch was soft, practiced, and filled with a maternal warmth I didn't deserve. She supported the glass to my lips while her other hand moved slowly through my sweat-dampened black hair, her fingers a soothing rhythm against my scalp.
"You remind me so much of your father," she whispered, her voice a fragile thread in the quiet room.
I took a shaky, grateful sip. "Do I?"
"Yes… a lot." She paused, her fingers hesitating for a fraction of a second. "I .....never mind. Tell me what happened."
I looked up, meeting her gaze. "You really did like my father, didn't you?"
Her breath hitched, and for a moment, the mask of the stoic guardian slipped.
"Wait no, I " she stammered, her face flushing. "He only gave me a mission. I wasn't royalty, Justin. I wasn't even close to his greatness. I had no chance of being with a man like him."
Tears welled in her eyes, shimmering like broken glass, despite her desperate attempt to blink them away.
I pushed myself upright, wincing as my muscles protested the movement. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I just need to read the books the Queen gave me." A dark, cold rage bubbled inside me at the mention of her title.
I placed the thick, ancient tomes on the floor between us.
They looked ominous in the candlelight, bound in leather that felt far too much like skin.
"Oh…" Alicia said quietly, forcing a small, tight smile. "Alright. I'll leave you to it then. Enjoy them."
But her voice betrayed her; a deep, lingering pain resided beneath her words, a grief for a man she could never claim.
"Before you go," I said, a faint, weary smirk tugging at my lips, "I'd rather have you as my mother than the Queen."
Alicia froze. The silence in the room stretched, heavy and profound.
"…You're impossible," she finally whispered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm going back to bed. You can explain everything to me tomorrow."
She stood and walked toward her room, her footsteps slow and deliberate. At the threshold, she glanced back over her shoulder, a genuine, radiant smile breaking through her sadness.
"Yeah. Goodnight, Mom," I said softly.
Her smile widened, glowing with a soft intensity, before she disappeared into the darkness of the hallway.
The house fell into a deep, ringing silence.
"Well then," I muttered, my eyes narrowing as I reached for the first book. The History of Demons.
The cover felt bizarre ancient and weathered, yet strangely warm to the touch, as if a faint heartbeat pulsed beneath the binding. I pulled it into my lap and opened it.
The pages were a masterpiece of macabre art. Detailed illustrations filled the vellum: humans, demons, devils, dragons, elves, dwarves entire races locked in an eternal cycle of war and evolution. It was exactly as my sister had described.
I flipped the page, skimming through the text. It detailed the rise of demon bloodlines, forgotten kings, and wars that had turned the world to ash. Interesting… but nothing I need right now.
Blah, blah, blah…
Then, my breath caught. My eyes locked onto a single heading, the ink appearing darker, more sinister than the rest.
"High Humans."
"What the hell…?" I murmured, my heart
beginning to race.
Calamity had mentioned them once a brief, fleeting comment but she had never explained. The words on the page sent a literal chill down my spine, my skin crawling as I read the description beneath the title.
Created for destruction…
My fingers tightened around the edge of the page, the paper crinkling under my grip.
"What exactly were you created for…?" I whispered into the empty room, the weight of the book suddenly feeling like a mountain in my hands.